Florence Elementary School

Students and teachers stand outside the front entryway of a brick school building in this 9 1/2" x 7" black and white photograph. There is a wooden stairway leading up to the entrance of the building. The school has large arched windows on the first floor. A man, possibly a janitor, is standing in an open window on the left.

The "old" Florence School, located at 8516 N. 31st Street, was erected in 1890 by the village of Florence. The eight-room brick building was attended by almost 100 students through eighth grade. The school site looked east across the Missouri River and the bluffs. A unique feature of the building was a cupola that housed a large bell. In 1917, Florence was annexed by the city of Omaha, and the school became part of the Omaha Public Schools family. In 1962, the old building was retired, and in the fall of 1963, students (and the Florence Bell) moved into the "new" Florence School at North 36th and King Streets.